Tourism Pays for Denver and Colorado. Tourism is the second largest industry in the City & County of Denver, and in the State of Colorado. Visitors stimulate the local economy and benefit hotels, meeting facilities, attractions, restaurants, cultural institutions, tour companies, transportation providers, local farmers, and countless other businesses.
Denver
| Denver Jobs |
Tourism employs 50,000 people in the Denver metro area. |
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| Economic Impact |
Overnight visitors to Denver generated $3.6 billion in spending in 2012. |
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| Denver Taxes |
Revenue generated by visitors saves every Denver household $458 per year. |
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» Learn more about why tourism pays for Denver.
Colorado
| Colorado Jobs |
Tourism employs nearly 141,400 people in Colorado. |
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| Economic Impact |
Overnight visitors to Colorado generated $9.4 billion in spending in 2011. |
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| Colorado Taxes |
Revenue generated by visitors saves every Colorado household $458 per year. |
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» Learn more about why tourism pays for Colorado.
Denver
- Denver had a record 13.6 million total overnight visitors in 2012, up 3% over 13.2 million in 2011.
- A healthy tourism economy is built and supported by Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) such as VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau, that use a portion of the local Lodger's tax and private membership dollars to market Denver as a visitors' destination.
- Without dedicated funding from local and state governments to promote tourism, its economy shrinks — fewer people come to Denver, reducing the money that enters our economy.
» Read more Denver tourism facts.
Colorado
- Colorado welcomed a record 57.9 million visitors in 2011, a 5% increase over 2010 and the highest total number ever reported. Of these, the state welcomed 29 million domestic overnight visitors, a new record.
- Overnight visitors to Colorado generated $9.38 billion in spending in 2011.
- Direct-travel spending supported 141,400 jobs.
- Colorado's travel industry generated over $879 million in local and state tax revenues during the 2011 calendar year.
- This represents approximately $458 of tax revenue per household in the state.
» Read more Colorado tourism facts.
- The U.S. travel industry directly employs 7.4 million people and generates a payroll of $178 billion and tax revenues of about $118 billion.
- The U.S. Travel Association ranks travel fifth among the top 20 major private industry sectors.
- Visitors to the U.S. spent more here than residents traveling abroad, creating a positive balance of trade of $32 billion for the national economy. Travel expenditures within the U.S. total $134 billion.
» Learn more about the national impact of travel.
